Question map
Which one amongst the following cannot be a feature of a ‘totalitarian regime’?
Explanation
A totalitarian regime is characterized by the state's absolute control over both public and private life, leaving no room for individual or group independence. Key features include a single-party system [1], a comprehensive ideology that dictates all aspects of life, and a monopoly over the means of mass communication to disseminate propaganda. Unlike authoritarian regimes, which may allow some degree of personal freedom or economic autonomy, totalitarian systems aim for total dominance over all societal institutions. Consequently, the 'autonomy of civil society' is fundamentally incompatible with totalitarianism, as such regimes actively seek to eliminate all civil society and individual autonomy to prevent any gaps in their control mechanisms. In these systems, the state and the ruling party are inseparable, and all organizations are subordinated to the central authority.
Sources
- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > SOVIET CONSTITUTION > p. 687